Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-16
DAILY HERALD.
BILL NYE AND THE MORMONs.
The western Philosopher Takes
a Glance AT the Elder.

New York Sun.
The great summer attraction at the
Museum seems to be q Mormon ag-
gregation, under the auspices of Elder
Joshua Baker. Elder Baker is ac-
companied by three wives and a
pianist. Joshua Baker was born in
Kentucky, and afterwards moved to
Alabama. In the latter State he was
for some years a Methodist preacher,
hut at the age of As light saddenly
broke in on his darkend understand
ing. and he embraced the blessed
promises and breaches of promises in
s.ident TO Mormonism. He then went
to Utah, where one country, one flag
and one wife at a time is not the
motto. He then entered into poly
vamous relations with several addi-
tional wives, until he had acquired
enough to maintain him in comfort.
Elder Baker sits calmly in a Bowery
museum during these long, hot days,
and bv the sweat of his brow tries to
earn an honest livelihood by advertis-
ing his assortment of infamy. He may
he found there on raised platform,
also on bail. Under the Edmunds
law he was arrested on the charge OF
polvgamv and served three months,
SO that he now comes to us rested and
refreshed from his ninety days OF quiet
in the Zion pen.
Asa proof that large head is not
always guarantee of success in life,
NAV here state that Elder Bakers
head is not large. His ears are power
full and well balanced, but it would
take three or four brains like his to
attract the attention of a large mack
erel. Apparently Elder Baker only
uses his head to keep his ears from
falling apart.
L attended the morning services at
the Mormon Tabernacle at Salt Lake
City five years ago, but do not remem-
Der of having seen Josh at that time:
Something about him, however, called
up memory of the occasion. Prob
ably it was certain air of repose and
miasma that seemed to lurk around
him.
The Baker family, according to the
programme, consists OF twenty-four
children, four wives and one husband,
but under the new law the Elder has
made an assignment of all his wives
but one. She can readily be distin-
guished by the look of deep gloom
which she wears. The others are
neither maids, wives nor widows to
any marked degree, but pose as matri-
monial mugwumps and look upon their
herd of thin, wailing children with ap-
parent regret.
Josh wears full beard, cropped
close, but long and searching look
up his coat sleeve did not reveal any
evidence of shirt. He is rather tall
and wiry in build, with feet that must
have materially retarded the growth
of grass in Utah while he was
there.
The old man occupies one end of
the exhibition hall, surrounded by
his wives and his feet. His children
fill up the intervening space between
the end of the room and the Railway
girl, who still dumbly appeals to the
spectator to come forward and iden-
tify her so that she can go away.
The courts of Utah assigned to FL
der Baker as wife a large, powerful
woman about eighteen hands high,
whose hair insists upon unwinding
itself and sticking out like the tail OF
disabled steer in fy-time. The two
other wives, who have been retired on
half pay, are not forming part OF the
Elders family circle at present, but
assisted at the exhibition for old ac-
quaintance sake. They are not strik-
ingly beautiful, and probably will not
marry again unless there should be a
great mortality among all the other
women in the world. In that case
some man who doesn't care much for
beautiful scenery might, between
lucid intervals, marry the more at
tractive one of the two. The other
one will probably remain in statu quo,
rounding up the thriving young found
ling asylum bestowed upon her by
Joshua as a slight testimonial of re-
gard.
A photograph of Elder Baker and
his family looks like the picture of a
prospero reform school in its senior
year. | could hardly refrain from
wishing that the old man had kept
house this summer down by the rip
roaring sea, where | could have gone
and boarded with them and felt the
refining influences OF home life
Twenty-four children and ten maver
icks who would be willing to leave
their bread and molasses in fine
chairs would make man with a new
pair of light, sensitive trousers sticl
to simple diet all summer.
BILL NYE.